Process of curing and coloring tobacco



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Process of Curing-and Coloring Tnbacco No. 240,266. Patented April19,1881.

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. 0. S. PHILIPS. I Process of Curing and Coloring Tobacco. No. 240,266.Patented April 19,1881.

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u. PETERS, PMOI'o-LITHOGRAPMER, msnmswu u UNITED STATES PATENT CHARLESS. PHILIPS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PROCESS OF CURING AND COLORING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,266, dated April19, 1881.

Application filed July 10, 1879.

' will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make anduse the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, whichform part of this specification.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an isometrical view of my sweatroom, which may be ofsufficient size to accommodate any number of cases placed therein. Fig.2 is a direct total top view. Fig. 3 is a sectional view out throughline a b in Fig. 2, representing the inside of the sweat-room, lookingto the back. The cases 0, shelves '0 'v, and bottom Q are represented ina side elevation. Fig. at is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5represents one of the shelves o c. Fig. 6 represents the bottom Q, whichis a flooring placed loosely over the pipes P P, shown in Fig. 8 incross-section. Fig. 7 is a view from the top, with the roof 0 removed.Fig. 9 is an enlarged crosssection of the lower part of the house, asshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 10 is a view of a water-regulating device, asshown in Fig. 1, (chamber M.)

It is usual to resweat tobacco preparatory to its being manufacturedinto cigars for the purpose of improving its quality and darkening itscolor. Heretofore certain difficulties have been experienced,arisin gfrom the incapacity of the means employed for this purpose,

. or in cases where the apparatus used has been of sufficient capacityit has been so constructed that the tobacco had to be placed into it ina mass, so that the tobacco could not be examined during treatmentwithout unpacking a portion or all of it from the vessel in which it iscontained, and not infrequently large quantities of tobacco have beenspoiled or rendered unfit to be used for the purpose intended.

The object of my invention is to remedy the evils heretofore existing;and it consists in an improved method of curing or resweatin g tobaccoin any desired quantity by the means herein described.

air, water, and steam tight.

The tobacco, if not sufficiently moist, is cased or dampened, and packedinto the original cases, or in ordinary wooden boxes of any dey siredsize. The covers are then fastened down and the cases or boxes are putinto a sweatroom orsweat-housc constructed for or adapted to thepurpose, as shown in the drawings. This sweat-room is so arranged thatany one of the cases or boxes of tobacco can be taken out whenever it isdeemed necessary to examine it during the process of treatment, and ifnot sufficiently resweated it may be replaced without disturbing thetobacco in any of the other cases contained therein.

The tobacco in the cases or boxes' when placed in the sweat-room may beheated to the required temperature (indicated on a thermometer) by meansof a series of pipes, P P, placed in a tray or basin containing water,which is constructed in the lower part of the sweatroom, as shown inFig. 8, the object of packing the tobacco into cases or boxes being tosubdivide it, so that it can be easily, handled and examined wheneverdesired, and to prevent too much moisture from acting directly upon it.The moisture arising from the water in the lower part of the room causesthe wood of the cases containing the tobacco to swell somewhat andbecome so tight that the moisture from the outside of the cases inthesweatroom cannot enter into them and come in direct contact with thetobacco suificiently to oversaturate it, and at the same time themoisture in the tobacco in the cases is prevented from escaping, and thetobacco does not, therefore, become too dry.

As already stated, the tobacco to be treated is packed in wooden cases 0O, and is placed on shelves o 'v, arranged on the inside of the room, orthe cases are tiered on a bottom, Q,

this tray makes, withthe leadL L, a close fit,

This tray also has an extension, M, forming a water-chamber outside ofthe room. The bottom of the house, formed by the tray T T,lined withlead, is filled with water to any height desired, and if high enough itwill surround the whole of the exposed surfaces of the pipes P P, asshown in Fig. 9. But the water may only be high enough to come incontact with a part of said pipesurfaces, according to the amount ofmoisture required.

The height of water in the tray T T is regulate'd in chamber M by adevice shown in Fig. 10, which consists of a swimmer, S, and anoutlet-pipe, 00, which can be adjusted by a movable weight, W, on theT-lever L, and fixed to said lever by slot 9. Rod it operates theadjustable valve V in a Water-supply pipe, y. The swimmer S: is made ofa buoyant substance, and will sink and rise with the water, and also inconnection with it the outlet-pipe 00, which is made so as to slidethrough the bottom of the water-chamber M.

The moisture for the atmosphere is produced by steam, hot air, or waterflowing through the pipes P P, so evaporating the water surround- 7 ingthe outside surfaces of said pipes, and the amount of moisture isregulated by the amount of pipe-surfaces exposed to the water, and alsoby the amount of heat allowed to pass through the pipes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described process of curing and coloring tobacco, whichconsists in subdividing the tobacco to be treated by packing it intowooden cases, which are to be placed or tieredin a sweat-room, andheating it in a moist atmosphere of sufficient density and heat to colorthe tobacco, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this27th day of J une, 1879.

CHARLES S. PHILIPS.

Witnesses:

HERMAN O. T. KRAUS, MAURICE SoLoMoN.

